1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the invention generally relate to integrated circuits. In particular, embodiments of the invention relate to memory circuits.
2. Description of the Related Art
Flash memory is a form of erasable and reprogrammable non-volatile memory. In a flash memory, memory cells are arranged in “blocks” for erasure. After a block has been erased, it is ready for programming if desired. NOR flash memory is a type of flash memory that offers access to individual bytes for retrieval of data, but has relatively low density.
NAND flash memory is a type of flash memory that offers relatively high density. The high density is achieved in part by forming columns of cells connected in series. In addition, with NAND flash memory, data is retrieved in relatively large groups of bytes, such as a page of data. For example, a page can correspond to a row or to a portion of a row in an array.
For example, a memory array of cells for storing data is typically arranged in a 2-dimensional array of rows and columns. These arrays can vary greatly in size. When the cells of the array are capable of holding 2 or more levels, that is, multiple levels or two or more bits of data per cell, the array effectively holds data in 3 dimensions.
In a typical array for NAND flash memory, sources and drains of flash cells are arranged in series (source to drain) and referred to as columns. Along rows are “word lines” that control the gates of cells. Data is typically accessed a row at a time, with one bit from each column. The word line for the row to be read is set to a particular voltage for reading the stored state(s) of the cells. Different voltage levels can be used for multiple-level cells. The other row lines for the other cells of the columns are set to turn “on” the cells to permit the reading of the stored state(s) of the cells of the row through the corresponding cells in the columns.
The number of bytes per row can vary in a very wide range as can the number of bytes in a “page.” Some manufacturers define a page by a certain amount of data, so that, for example, two pages of data can correspond to one word line (row). For the purposes described herein, a “page” of data corresponds to the amount of data that is written to or read from the NAND flash memory array during a write cycle or read cycle. In one example, 2,112 bytes are retrieved by activation of a word line. Of these 2,112 bytes, 2,048 are data bytes and 64 are spare bytes, which are typically used for error correction codes (ECC), wear-leveling information, or other overhead data. Error correction codes increase the robustness of the stored data. Typically, a form of block code is used to generate the error correction codes, such as cyclic redundancy check (CRC) checksums, Reed-Solomon error correction, or the like. These error correction codes detect if there were errors in the reading of the data bytes and can typically correct errors in the data bytes provided that the errors do not exceed the capability of the error correction code.
Flash memory has many uses. Examples include flash memory hard drives (replacements for hard drives), USB flash drives or thumb drives, mobile phones, digital cameras, digital media players, games, memory cards, navigation devices, personal digital assistants, computers, or the like. Within limits, the error correction codes can correct many errors in the data in the data bytes. However, beyond these limits, data with errors cannot typically be corrected. For example, if a word line fails, then there can be problems reading data for the entire row. This typically results in too many errors for the error correction codes to correct. Depending on the criticality of the data, the effects of uncorrectable errors in data can range from inconvenient to catastrophic.